Washing-machine



(No Model.)

' W. THORNTON.

WASHING MACHINE. No. 559,507. j Patent ed May 5, 1896;

wi/hwm UMTED STATES PATENT firm on.

WILLIAM THORNTON, OF OI-IATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,507, dated May 5, 1896. Application filed May 22, 1895. $erial No. 550,226. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM THORNTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Vashing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to garment-Washing machines consisting of a water-tight box, barrel, or reservoir equipped with curved rockers mounted on a track, and also having an automatic agitator, the object being to reduce the total amount of power or labor required to operate the machine and to shorten the time usually required in cleaning garments by other methods, also to reduce friction of the rocking mechanism; and the invention therefore consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is a plan view with the upper portion of the cross-bar standard or post removed, also half of said cross-bar removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the upper portion of said post removed, dotted lines showing extreme positions of the reservoir and attachments in operation. Fig. 3 is a half end elevation and partial section through the rocking mechanism and reservoir on the vertical center line 1 1.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the different figures.

The legs or side supports S, connected by the cross-braces a a and the standards or posts P, attached to said side supports and carrying the cross-bar C, constitute the stationary framework. The box or reservoir R, equipped with the agitator A, connected to said cross-bar O by means of the rod or link Z, constitutes the revolving, oscillating, or movable mechanism, as hereinafter described.

On the top end of the supports S achanneliron or track T is firmly secured, and to the inner sides of said supports is also secured a pivot'bearing plate B, having a vertical slot V, Whose sides conform more or less to atrue cycloidal curve, said curve varying with the location of the stop-pin O of the generatingcircle relative to its base-line, as further de scribed.

To the outer side of each support S a post P is firmly secured and extends above said supports. The cross-bar 0 passes through said supports near their upper ends, connecting them transversely, as shown in Fig. 3, and forminga rigid support or brace for said crossbar.

The reservoir R consists of a water-tight box of suitable form. A rocker 0" is firmly attached to each side of said box, said rockers resting in and being guided by the channeliron track T, which thus supports the weight of said reservoir, attachments, and contents. Braces b are secured to each side of the rescrvoir at one end, carrying the handle-bar II, by means of which the reservoir is rocked or oscillated and the agitator revolved, as hereinafter described.

Stop-pins O, secured on the outer side of the reservoir, one on each side, loosely fitting inside of the pivot-slotV of the plate 13, are intended to restrict endwise motion of the rockers r in their respective tracks T. The location of this stop-pin O in relation to the bottom surface of the rockers should be a short distance below the latter, in order that the motion of said stop-pin may be approximately in a straight line to and from its upper and lower extreme positions, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It is obvious that if this pivot were located on a line coincident with the bottom face of the rocker r the path described by said stop-pin would be a portion of an exact cycloid to either side, forming an acute V. It is also evident that if the stop-pins were located above the bottom of the rocker or generating-circle the path de scribed would be a more flaring or obtuse form of V, and this would gradually become a straight horizontal line at the center of the radius of the rockers,as the generating-circle. Hence in order to reduce friction and limit the motion of the stop-pin O in its bearingplate 13, said pivot is located below the sun face of the rocker about one-twentieth of the radius of said rocker, thus obtaining a practically straight vertical line as a path for the stop-pin 0. (See Fig. 2.)

The agitator A is mounted on the cover or charging-door D, which is hinged at g g and secured by latches h h on the top of the reservoir R, and consists of a metallic hub or spider (located on the under side of said door and inside of the reservoir) having a number of radiating arms or sockets U, into which Wooden pins 1' are securely fastened. A small vertical shaft f, journaled in the bearings e 6, attached to the top side of the charging-door D, extends through said door, the agitator being fixed upon the lower end of said shaft, and a bevel-pinion or, engaging with a driving segment-gear G, is secured near its upper end, which is j ournaled at e. The horizontal shaft is also journaled in the same casting at c c, and carries the segment-gear G, which is provided with a groove or socket, into which the open-ended link Zis inserted and secured by the clamp 19 and the bolt and thumb-nutj. In operation this link or U-shaped rod Z being attached'to the driving-gear G, as already explained, and passing over the cross-bars O, the upper end or closed part of said link is made to slide or oscillate on said cross-bar as a fulcrum, while the lower en d, being attached to the segment-gear Gand thus to the rocking or oscillating reservoir R, swings approximately in the manner of a pendulum with the rocking motion of said reservoir, the latter being operated by the hand-bar H, as shown in extreme positions in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thus the effect on the agitator A is to give it alternating rotary motion corresponding to the alternating horizontal movements of the drivinggear G, engaging with the pinion n, as above indicated and shown in drawings. The closed or upper end Z of the pendulum-rod Z thus also acts as a safety-stop, in combination with its fulcrum-rod O and its stop-pin O, by restricting the rocking motion of the reservoir at either extreme.

In charging or removing garments the link Z is withdrawn from its socket after loosening the thumb-nut j, when the door D may be opened or closed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a garment-washing machine, the combination of the reservoir provided with rockers, the vertical standards, the stationary crossbar C secured therein, the U -shaped rod upon said cross-bar, the oscillating driving-gear G attached to said rod, the driving-pinion a mounted on shaft f and engaging with said gear, and the agitator A also carried by the shaft f, all arranged substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM THORNTON.

\Vitnesses:

' E. S. REED,

JAS. B. ANDERSON 

